Embarek Alwedi was born in Alzahra, Libya. After obtaining BS (2001) and MS (2006) degrees from Alfatah University in Tripoli, Embarek remained at his alma mater for a further two years working as a lecturer. He recently relocated to the US to pursue PhD study at Oregon State University. Embarek is currently investigating new implementations of the StReCH concept to access complex polyoxygenated molecules.

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Adam Barsamian recently joined the BRG and shall investigate novel methods for the generation of scalemic functionalized carbenoids and their application as chain extension reagents in iterative StReCH sequences. This methodology will be used to target biologically active natural product molecules and API's.

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Bryan Beall was born in Chico California in 1982. He moved to Eugene Oregon to attend Churchill high school and later graduated from Lane Community College with an associates degree. Bryan is currently a Biochemistry/ Biophysics major at Oregon State University and serves as the Vice-President of the student association for this discipline. Bryan recently joined the BRG to pursue a new found passion for organic synthesis. His research concerns the study of novel implementations of StReCH chemistry. Outside of the laboratory, Bryan's interests include movies, music, gardening, and the outdoors.

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Paul Blakemore was born in London, England, in 1973. He was inspired to follow a career in organic chemistry after working in the Dagenham based laboratories of the pharmaceutical company Rhone-Poulenc (now Sanofi-Aventis) as a sixteen year-old. Upon leaving high school, Paul pursued a double major degree program in Chemistry and Mathematics at the University of Southampton (UK). After obtaining his B.Sc. degrees with a double first in 1995, he joined the internationally recognized synthetic chemistry group of Prof. Philip J. Kocienski, then at Southampton, to undertake Ph.D. work in the field of sulfone based olefination methods. Following relocation with the rest of the Kocienski Group to the University of Glasgow in 1996, Paul discovered that trans alkenes can be made with high levels of stereocontrol from 1-phenyl-1H-tetrazol-5-yl sulfones (PT-sulfones). This variant of the so-called modified Julia reaction ("Julia-Kocienski" reaction) is stereocomplementary to the classical Wittig reaction and has since become a commonly used tool of synthetic organic chemistry. Before securing his Ph.D. degree in 1999, Paul went on to apply this method to the synthesis of the D vitamins and the herbicidal polyketide herboxidiene (GEX1A/TAN-1609). An enjoyable and highly rewarding period of post-doctoral research then followed within the group of Prof. James D. White at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. During this time (1999-2001), Paul worked on various projects and had the good fortune to conclude group efforts which culminated in the total synthesis of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid loline, the polyketides polycavernoside A and rhizoxin D, and the realization of the spirocyclic core of pinnaic acid. With a productive post-doctoral stint behind him, Paul was awarded a prestigious Royal Society University Research Fellowship which enabled him to return to the UK in 2001 to begin his independent research career at the University of Leeds. In January 2005, Paul Blakemore returned to Oregon State University as a faculty member and currently holds the position of Assistant Professor within the Department of Chemistry. Outside of chemistry, Paul is a keen guitar enthusiast and enjoys modern literature, the cinema, and exploring his new home of Oregon.

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Darrin Flanigan was born in Springfield, OR in 1989. He came to Oregon State
University in 2007 and is pursuing degrees in Chemistry and Microbiology. Darrin is a member of the Microbiology Students of America Club on campus and after completing undergraduate studies, he plans to pursue further education in the field of either organic synthesis or medicinal chemistry. Outside of school, Darrin enjoys reading, cooking, music and movies. Darrin recently joined the BRG and is investigating new methods for the synthesis of heterocyclic biaryl molecules and their application in enantioselective catalysis.

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Chao Wang was born in Sichuan, P. R. China, and obtained BS (2000) and MS (2003) degrees from Lanzhou University. After three years of working in the chemical industry in China, she moved to Oregon to pursue a PhD degree in organic chemistry at OSU. Chao's research concerns the continued exploration of 8,8´-biquinolyl chemistry with a focus on the development of applications for these novel heterocyclic biaryl molecules in enantioselective catalysis. Beside her studies, Chao also enjoys playing table tennis and badminton, cooking gourmet food, hiking around Oregon, and listening to music.

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